September: Orange Pick-Up Sticks

Update: Here is the winner Val Turer with some of her new blocks! This will be a fabulous quilt.

Congrats, Val!

How do you feel about orange? Are you loving all the new orange prints, or did you (like me) leave that color behind with the other relics of the 1960s? I even painted my bedroom orange, and I thought it was beautiful! 

If you're like me, here's a block to get you reacquainted with orange. It's fast, easy, and will make a great looking quilt for the lucky winner.

Fabrics and Cutting:

Cut one square 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" from solid white fabric. This could be white, parchment, ecru, snow, bone, tea-dye, whatever. A variety will add depth and it's easier than trying to get everyone using the same white!

Cut some orange scraps into strips: 1" wide. Length will be about 7-9." (Think: orange, peach, rust, etc...If there are little bits of other colors in there too, that's okay.)

Construction:

Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut across your white square in any direction you like. Insert one of your orange strips. Press toward the strip (as shown below). This makes the stick puff up a little in the finished block, rather than sink down. 

Then cut your block again, any place you choose, and insert the second strip (as shown below).

If you like, add another strip.

When you've added all the strips you want, trim your block to a 6" square (below).

(In the finished quilt top the blocks will measure 5 1/2" square.)

See the 4 blocks below for an idea of how the quilt top might look.

Some of the sticks (below) look like they continue from one block to another. 

I can't wait to see all our blocks at the September meeting!

See you then!

P.S. Start collecting FOOD themed prints for the October block.